Children's Home run by My Choice Children’s Homes Limited in West Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: SC029865 1 SC029865

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Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It provides care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered by Ofsted on 19 October 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 9 September 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC029865 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/01/2025 Full Good 12/12/2023 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC029865 3

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Summary of findings

Children are happy and they are making progress in this home. They are cared for by the staff, who know them well and who are keen to support them to make progress. Children have fun in the home and engage in a range of activities.

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Summary of findings

The registered manager has a real passion for providing a ‘homely feel’ to children’s care, and this is evident in children’s experiences and relationships with staff.

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Summary of findings

Staff work effectively to ensure that children are kept safe from harm, and when worrying incidents occur, they respond promptly and in line with children’s individual plans.

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Summary of findings

One requirement has been made regarding the frequency of supervision, and two recommendations regarding seeking wider external feedback and making timely notifications.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress at this home. They are supported by the staff, who want what is best for them and who help them to achieve their goals. Children’s support is tailored to their individual needs, and some children have made excellent progress in managing their emotions positively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is valued in this home; all children are attending some form of education in line with their own abilities and plans. One child, who had not attended school for some months before living in the home, is now attending school regularly and is making academic progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home feels homely; rooms are decorated in line with children’s likes and dislikes and include photographs of children and displays of their artwork. Children have been able to decorate their bedrooms in line with their own preferences, and they take pride in their own spaces.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy in the home. They have positive relationships with one another and with staff. Staff know the children well and have positive relationships with them. Staff speak fondly of the children and are proud of their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in and enjoy a range of activities in the home. Staff ensure that children can explore their likes and dislikes and are enrolled into activities that they are interested in and enjoy, both inside and outside of the home. This has allowed children to build on their social skills and confidence. Inspection report for children’s home: SC029865 4 Children’s transitions into and out of the home are well managed. Staff ensure that children have a positive transition into the home, and they make efforts to meet children before they join the home to support them in their transitions. When children move out of the home, staff support them to do this positively and ensure that their time in the home is reviewed so that any learning can be identified.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and any potential triggers for behaviours. Staff seek to deescalate any potential incidents. Debriefs are always held with children and they are encouraged to reflect on their emotions and behaviours; staff support them to consider ways to manage these more positively in the future.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Physical intervention is only ever used as a last resort, and always at the lowest level possible. Very few physical interventions have occurred in the home, but when they have happened, both children and staff have received thorough debriefs.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Missing-from-home episodes are well managed. In the last inspection year, there has been a decrease in the number and frequency of missing episodes. When children do go missing from the home, staff attempt to stay in consistent contact with them. Staff liaise with external professionals, such as the police and social workers, regarding the children and their safety. One child has refused to return to the home for over 2 weeks; staff have prioritised daily face-to-face welfare checks to try to ensure their safety while they are away from the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children know how to make a complaint and are listened to when they do complain. Leaders and managers ensure that children’s voices are heard and that they are kept up to date with the progress of any complaints that they have made. Full investigations are completed with staff members, if appropriate, and verbal and written responses are provided to children. These actions have ensured that children have felt listened to, and they have helped to build trusting relationships between children and staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safeguarding records provide quality and context to explore what is currently happening for children. Appropriate, timely action is taken to keep children safe. On some occasions, incidents have not been notified to Ofsted promptly, which reduces the opportunity for regulatory oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children’s home: SC029865 5 The registered manager is passionate about providing high-quality care that replicates a ‘family style’ for children. He knows the children well and talks about them with pride and passion. He has been able to reflect on the progress of the home and identify areas for development; he shows a clear desire to continue to improve outcomes for children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about their experiences of working in the home; they speak fondly about the children and are clearly passionate about helping them to reach their full potential. Staff feel well managed by managers and leaders and feel that the home is a happy and supportive place to work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers speak positively about the home’s ability to care for their children to a high standard. They report that their children are making progress, and they feel involved and well informed about their children’s day-to-day experiences in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager takes concerns about staff practice seriously; any allegations are reported to the local authority designated officer promptly and are followed up with internal investigations if necessary. Staff probationary periods are extended if necessary to ensure that staff have a full and thorough understanding of the expectations of their roles in the home before they are signed off.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback is not always used consistently to improve the home, and sources of feedback are limited. This reduces the ability of leaders and managers to benefit from external scrutiny and to use this to develop children’s experiences in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is of good quality and incorporates consideration of staff practice as well as their relationships with the children and their understanding of children’s needs. However, staff supervision is not currently taking place frequently and in accordance with the home’s statement of purpose. Inspection report for children’s home: SC029865 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff members are provided with supervision in line with the time frames set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 2 September 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from monitoring, including actively gaining feedback from parents, carers, professionals, children and staff internally, and from other external mechanisms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13) Inspection report for children’s home: SC029865 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC029865 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3a Mill Green Business Estate, Mill Green Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1XQ

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Inspector

Sheniz Hudaverdi, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC029865 9 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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